


Ever More Tenebrous Places

by FishSlayer



Category: Darkest Dungeon (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Everything, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Gen, Lovecraftian Lesbians, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 18:02:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14086530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FishSlayer/pseuds/FishSlayer
Summary: “Ah,” Mauld whispered distractedly and looked to her right, “Sybil.”The golden-haired woman smiled beneath the broad brim of her hat. “That’s my name. Penny for your thoughts?”Mauld huffed through her nose in amusement, smirking beneath the birdlike physician’s mask. Sybil had proven herself to be a rather...refreshing companion."A Darkest Dungeon ficlet dump.





	Ever More Tenebrous Places

The day was a grey one. A blanket of thick clouds obscured any sunlight that would reach the grounds of the shoddy hamlet, casting the dilapidated structures in a grim, pallid halflight. What rain there was came in fat, lazy drops which fell to the earth at odd intervals, occasionally blown sideways by a stray gust of wind. 

Fitting that the hamlet’s current residents should be the recipients of such foul weather in the midst of a burial. 

Osmer had been a bounty hunter with a particularly low stress threshold, but that was not the sole cause of his ghastly death. Mauld had been there when he was cut down. The hideous malformations they fought on the grounds were hardly anything that could have been called a product of the natural world. Yet it seemed no one had yet thought to attempt to understand them, their origin, or the profound extent of their odious power. 

Although, Mauld had an inkling that their collective employer had some such wish. It was a shame the heir was so secretive. 

“What are you thinking so hard about?” A familiar, hushed voice broke the plague doctor from her grisly musings. 

“Ah,” Mauld whispered distractedly and looked to her right, “Sybil.” 

The golden-haired woman smiled beneath the broad brim of her hat. “That’s my name. Penny for your thoughts?” 

Mauld huffed through her nose in amusement, smirking beneath the birdlike physician’s mask. Sybil had proven herself to be a rather...refreshing companion. 

“...I’m a bit peeved at the moment. The best way to defeat one’s enemy is to know that enemy, wouldn’t you agree?” Mauld nodded toward the grave, pointing with the beak of her mask. “After our late friend’s death, I went to our mutual employer to request his- Osmer’s- remains, as a cadaver for the purpose of performing an autopsy. I was denied.” 

Sybil was quiet for a moment. The Caretaker was shoveling the final clumps of dirt onto the fresh grave, careful to hide his perpetual grin from the small, dispersing crowd. Many of them were hired adventurers, like themselves, and most of their number were making toward the Inn for drink. Mauld supposed a burial was a good enough excuse.

“Well, you’re not alone in thinking that foolish.” The thief finally said. “You have a somewhat permanent room to yourself in the Inn, right? First floor?” 

The plague doctor raised a brow, eyeing the other woman with mild suspicion. “...First floor. Why do you ask?” 

Sybil turned to her, and suddenly that smile of hers was very close. Mauld noticed for the first time the deep blue of the other woman’s eyes, gleaming with the promise of reward. 

“I’ll see you there tonight.” 

The doctor was left standing in the rain, unable to form a reply before the other woman had gone. “I...suppose I shall.” She felt like a fool. It wasn’t often she felt a fool. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

In the smallest hours of early morning, while scratching new notes onto parchment in the candlelight, Mauld heard a knock. The doctor stood, glancing at her door. The noise hadn’t emanated from there, she was certain. Her gaze flicked to the window. Dare she hope..? 

Another knock, more impatient this time. Mauld brought a candle with her, dimming it with a hand so as not to draw attention from outside. As she drew the curtains back, Sybil’s broad-brimmed hat came into view, her gloved hand motioning for the doctor to open the window. 

Immediately after it was opened, the thief popped her head in and whispered urgently, “Here, you’ll have to be ready to grab hold so we can both get this guy in there.” 

“...Did you..?” Mauld started, but Sybil had disappeared again. 

A soft thump sounded as another head, covered with a sack that undoubtedly extended to wrap the entire body, made contact with the sill for a moment. The body it was attached to was then lifted and pushed further through the window with a strained groan from the thief outside. 

The doctor grinned, grabbing hold of the corpse beneath the arms and pulling. 

Following some cautious shuffling and quiet grunting, Osmer’s remains were laid out on the doctor’s table. Sybil closed the window, took a deep breath, and removed her dirty gloves. 

“I figured,” the thief said breathily, giving the doctor an accomplished grin as she scratched her cheek with a finger, “No one can object to something they don’t know is happening.” 

Mauld simply looked at her for a moment, attempting to read the other woman’s intentions. Nothing in Sybil’s expression betrayed any secret, hidden agenda, she seemed quite sincere. 

So the doctor crossed the room with two long strides and wrapped her arms around Sybil’s waist, pulling her close. She brought her face near the other woman’s, halting halfway to give the thief the opportunity to retreat in case she’d misinterpreted something. 

Instead, Sybil gladly met the doctor halfway, and Mauld smiled into the kiss when the thief enthusiastically returned her embrace.


End file.
